Interior Secretary Visits Arctic Refuge

[Omaha Steve]

FULL story: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060901/D8JROGMO0.html

Interior Secretary Visits Arctic Refuge
Email this Story

Aug 31, 9:09 PM (ET)

H. JOSEF HEBERT

KAKTOVIK, Alaska (AP) - Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne made his first visit to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday and was greeted by local leaders concerned not about drilling in the refuge, but by plans for offshore oil development.

Tribal leaders said offshore drilling in the Beaufort Sea would interfere with their whaling.

Kempthorne, on a three-day tour of Alaska's North Slope, landed at Kaktovik, the only village in the refuge, after aborting an earlier try when his chartered twin engine turboprop was forced to turn back to Deadhorse, 120 miles to the west.

After the weather cleared, Kempthorne was able to land and began visiting with leaders of the town and of the local Inupiat tribal council.

[badgervan]

1. God Told Them to Get That Oil

Here we go again.

[Erika]

2. Dirk loves photo ops

He's a Ted Baxter sort of guy.

[Kolesar]

3. Google ad: Anwar Oil Drilling/Join Chevron's Energy Forum Today

At the top of the page:
Anwar Oil Drilling
Join Chevron's Energy Forum Today - Post Opinion on Oil & Other Issues.

[Barrett808]

4. Thought for a second he'd be looking for evidence of climate change

What was I thinking?